Leadership, scholarships highlight upcoming Hayes Lecture

October 1, 2012

Drawing on his distinguished career in the U.S. Army, an upcoming speaker at Emporia State University will connect education with leadership skills and national security. Col. Cameron A. Leiker, a 1990 Emporia State graduate, will deliver the second Sam E. and Jeannene Hayes Lecture Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012.

Leiker currently serves as director of Human Capital Enterprise and Strategy, Plans and Initiatives for the Training and Doctrine Command Personnel and Support Element (TRADOC) at Fort Eustis, Va. From 2008-2011, Leiker commanded the Army’s largest battalion, the Headquarters Command Battalion at Fort Myer, Va.

Emporia State will have a series of assignments for Leiker when he returns to his alma mater. He will speak to students attending a workshop at 2 p.m. in Butcher Hall, Room 119.

“My focus is about the basics of leadership, helpful skills, risk management, and some lessons I’ve learned over the years,” said Leiker.

Leiker’s evening lecture, “Building Dynamic Leaders for the Future,” takes place at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Union’s Webb Hall. The public is invited to attend free of charge.

Emporia State students attending the workshop or Leiker’s evening presentation are eligible to apply for one of five $1,000 scholarships to be awarded next spring. Last year’s inaugural Hayes Lecture speaker, Doug Smith and his wife, Nan, of Leawood, Kan., provided funds to create the scholarships. To be eligible for a scholarship, students must attend the lecture and complete a scholarship application, which includes a series of essay questions.

Leiker is the son of Wayne and Edith Leiker of El Dorado. He earned Distinguished Military Graduate honors from Emporia State when he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics in 1990.

The lecture series’ namesake, Dr. Sam Hayes (BS 1962) of Mission Hills, Kan., is past president of the Missouri Dental Association and is a retired Captain of the U.S. Navy Reserve. He served as chair of the ESU Foundation Board of Trustees in 2001 – 2003.

Hayes and his wife, Jeannene, established the lecture series as a way to engage Emporia State’s alumni in highlighting their successes. Individuals whose leadership qualities, skills and accomplishments have led to distinction are featured in each annual lecture.

Emporia State University is a dynamic and progressive student-centered learning community that fosters student success through engagement in academic excellence, community and global involvement, and the pursuit of personal and professional fulfillment.